Retort slicing device



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,263

b J. BRADLEY RETORT SLICING DEVI CE Filed May 26, 1924 2 Sheets-sheet 1 @ayi @17.

INVENTOR Jan. 5, 1926. 1,568,263

` J. vBRADLEY RETORT sLIcVING DEvIcE Filed' Mayze, 1924 2 Sheets-sheet 2 @L2 aj? V INVENTOR JTafz'a j'raJ/cy f I ATroR S Patented Jan. 5 1926 JOSIAH BRA-DLEY, OF VBEQQKLY'N, NEW YORK.

RETOR'T SIJICLNG DEVICE.

Application *fl'led May 26, 1924. Serial No. 715,77;

To all w/:vomfldtimay/ concern:

Be it known tha-t I, JosmH BRADLEY, a citizen of the United States, rasidi-ng in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, hare invented an Improvement in Retort Slicing Devices, of Whichthe following is a specification.

My present invention relates `to an improvement in apparatus for extract'ing the volatiles from coal, lignite and similar materials more particularly to that type of apparatus of this class designed to operate' continuously at -soLcalled low temperature and in which the heat for extracting the volatiles is obtained by'burninga portion'of the charge at the bottom of theretort. The. apparatus made in accordance with my invention comprises novel features in the' construction of the devices for supplying the material to be treated' to the retort, ,in the devices; for rcgularly slicing the materialJ above the grate, to the devices-for' discharging the coke and other I'es'idue, as well as' tol the devices for condensing the 1 *scs'an'd' volatiles as conveycd' away from 't ie retort. In the present case, however, theirmentionV will be restricted totheapparatusfor regularlv slicing and ejecting'the material immedia'tely above 'the grate, and theV means. for operating the same.

I am aware that heretofore various devices have been employed for *slicing and ejectingthe material above the grate inl the type of apparatus to which my invention relates. In this type of apparatus there is a tendency in the operation thereof for the burning charge at the bottom of the retort to become ca-ked and when-'this occurs they difliculties (if-'properly slicing and ejecting. the material are greatly increased. `The object of my invention is to overcome thisv difhculty and to provide a slicer' ``device which in its action tends to break up` any' caking tendency of the burning charge at the bottomthereof so that a predetermined quantity of the burning charge imry be removed with each slicing operation. `Tothis' end in carrying out the mvention the sh'cerV device `is an oscillating y apparatus which swings from a line' extending directly across the retort an appreciable distance below the same so that the slicer bar travels in the. are of a circle tending to raise the charge Within the retort and thus prevent the same' from becoming eaked orw-cdged and making the slicing operation vuncertain. Furthermore in carrying outthe invention the slicer bar as well. as thegraite and-the lower sections of the retort are provided with suitable passages for a circulating medium to prevent-'the same from becoming overheated and. thus prol'onging the life of these parts of the apparatus. Suitable devices are also employed' for operating the slicer bar and other parts of the apparatus, as -Will bc hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a= sectiona-l elevation illustrating more or less diagrainmatically an apparatus made' in accordance with my present invention, the section being taken on line 1-1, Fig. 2.

` Fig. 2 is a similar view' taken on line 2-.2, Fig'. 1.

Fig. 3 is atransverse section of a portion of -the grate bar, and

Fig. Alis a-transi'crse section of av portion of the slicer bar.

In carry-ing out. the invention and as is custon-iaryythe apparatus may bc mounted on a suitable foundation IO; Rising from the foundation are suita-bly spaced supports or standards ll'and 12 which may bc made of brick work, as illustrated,vor in any other similar manner. ports a grate'l3 ismo'unted. Asillustrated this may be secured in position by end plates l-i-and tie-boltsi'lor'otherwise. Each grate bar is preferably a hollow structure providing achamber 1-6 and fit-ted with inlet and outlet pipes or connections 17 and 18, byv which water or any other cooling medium fi'on'i a suitable source and by any means may be circulated th-roughthe grate. Also asindicated in the dfrawing the upper surface of the grate is preferably made on the arc of a circle.

Above' the grat'e there is a retort 19. This is preferably a vertical retort made of brick work or otherwise and as illustrated is rectangular in plan, although, as will be understood the particular configuration of the retort forms no part of my present invention. At the lower end of the retort there are bosh bars 20 fitted with suitable pipes'2l and 22 for the supply of water or any other suitable cooling medium for circulation through these bosh bars. The retort, as illustrated, is supported upon beams 23 carried at the upper ends ofV the standards 24 and 25, although as will be understood the particular manner in which- At the top of these sup- 1' LTE the retort is supported forms no part of the invention. Also as illustrated the retort is provided with a cover and the retort as well as the grate and the parts supporting and cooperating with the same are enclosed in a suitable housing` 27. This housing may be made of sheet metal or other similar and suitable material and may include an auxiliarj: section 28 for enclosing a separate compart'nent for a motor driven device, as hereinatter described. Furthermore, as illust rated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, in suitable positions in the walls of the retort I ma;v provide apcrtures 20 for the insertion of pirometers or other devices :for ascertaining the teml'ieratures and working conditions at different sections in the interior of the retort.

(looperating` with the grate there is a slicer bar indicated at 30. At the ends thereof this slicer bar suitably connected to rods 31 and 32. These rods are arranged in pairs as illustrated in the drawing and one pair is employed at one end of the grate and the other pair at the opposite end of the grate. At their lower ends the rods 31 are. secured in a block 33 which is connected to a shaft 314- iournaled in suitable bearings 35 preferabhv located in the foundation as illustrated. lu a similar manner the lower ends of the rods 32 are fixed in a block 36 Which is mounted on a shaft 37 journaled in bearings W also suitably secured in the base or OO foundation of the apparatus. The centers the shafts 34 and 37 are in a line which extends diametrieally through the longitudinal center of the retort as indicated in the vdrawings and the slicer bar is connected at the upper ends of these rods 31 and 32 in such a manner as to travel over the grate bar for eifecting the slicing operation. The slicer bar is operated as illustrated by a motor driven apparatus. The rods 31 and 32 for example may he litted in suitable positions with hlocks which are pivotally connected to chains JA), These chains @to pass over sprockets ll and 42. The sproclfets -l-l are fixed on a snitably journaled ft fl-3 and the sprockets are fixed on a snitably jonrnaled shaft 44:. Also mounted on the shaft 4-4 there is a gear 4-5. This gear 4-5 meshes with a worm 116 on a shaft 47, the shafty -Lti' being suitably couple'd to the shaft of a motor -l-Q. The motor 48 is mounted on a base 49 and this motorV` together with the shaft +tand the parts carried therehy, are houscd in a separate compartinen.tV` to which reierenme has hercinhefore been made, by the auxiliar'; housing` wall 23. lt will be understood. of course` that the motor may be located exteriorlv of the housing wall but as illustrated is shown within the housing wall. The motor ma;v be operated in opposite directions hy any suitable means to turn the shaft 4% first in one direction to correspoinflifseee a ingly move the chains -lO and swing the slicer bar in one direction and then the motor may be reversed, causing` the shaft Ll-l to turn in the opposite vdirection and the Chains 40 to move in the reverse direction thereby swinging the slicer bar hack to its starting point which may be considered an initial position for the same. The slicer bar is also preferably water-cooled and to this end the same may be fitted with pipe connections and 5] for the intake and discharge of the cooling` medium which may be supplied thereto from anf,1 suitable source, it being understood, of course, that a portion at least of these pipe connections for the cooling' medium in this instance must be flexible to permit of a swinging movement of the slicer bar. lt will also now be understood that the slicer bar travels on the are of a circle concentrically with the upper face of the grate and in so 'doing will raise or tend to raise to some extent the lower portion of the charge within the retort thereby breaking up this portion of the charge should the same become caked and so insuring the delivery of a predetermined quantity of the residue with each slicing operation.

At the upper end or on top of the retort there is a hopper 52 for the reception of the coal, lignite or other material from which the Volatiles are to be extracted in the operation of the apparatus. The lower end of the hopper is provided with a chnte or inclined walls 53 leading to a casing in which a revoluble drum 55 is mounted. In a suitable position in the Walls of this drum there is an opening 56 which in the revolut'ion of the vdrum register-s with the mouth defined by the inner ends of the walls of the ehute to admit the coal, lignite or other material to the interior of the drum and when the drum is in the oppositely disposed position this opening 56 therein registers with an opening 57 in the top wall 58 of the retort in order that the drum may discharge its contents into the retort without opening the same to the atn'iosphere. The drum is iournaled in bearings 59 and 60 provided therefor in the walls supporting the hopper and is turned by a shaft 61. This shaft carries a gear 62 mcshing` with a worm 63 on a shaft 64 which is suitably coupled to the shaft of a motor 65. As illustrate'd the motor 65 is supported upon a bracket GG also enclosed within a portion of the housing. This motor 65 is suitably controlled to operate the drum in such a manner as to at all times in the operation of the apparatus maintain the charge within the retort at a predetermined height which is adjacent the upper end of the retort so that the retort is constzrntl)v i'illed to approximately its maximum capacity.

The devices employed for discharging the colze and other residue are similar to those lit) mined position registers With the ends ofV the chuteand the conresponding portions of the casing. and when the drum is in thediai'netrically opposite position opens into the discharge cylinder 68 so as to permit the drum to automatically discharge itself. The` drum 70 is mouuted on aA shaft 71. On this shaft thercis agear 72 mcshing wit-.h a worm 5) suitably coupled to the shaft of. a motor 75 mounted on the platform or. other support 76. This motor 75 like the motor 05 may be suitably operated to intermittently discharge the coke and residue asr the san'ie is sliced .from the grate bars andv caused by the chutes 0.7 which act as a hopper to descond to the drum to be iregularly dischanged thereby through the discharge pipe 08 to a pit 77 or otherwise. These devices for the admission of the n'i'aterial to be treated. andv the discharge of the coke and other .residue are herein illustrated more or less diagrammatzically. In devices for this purpose as heretofore constructed difficulty hasibeen ex.- perienccd in prevent-ing the same from' becoming clogged with tar .and pitch andsimilar substances. These` pants, however, as included in my improved apparatus are selfcleanmgandare more particularly dascribed in a separate application made to cover' ,the

same.

The volatiles and gases are conVey-ed from the retort through an opening 78 made for this purpose in the topthereof and are carried through a pipe 7 9 to a blower or exhauster 80 by means of which a partial vacuum is maintained within the retort. This blower is driven by a motor 81 mounted on a suitable bracket 82 or otherwise and supported upon the housing of the apparatus. The dis-l charge end of the blower 80 is connected by a pipe. line to the bottom of a condenser 84 and the discharge from the condenser leads from the upper end thereof by way of a pipe line 85 to a scrubber 86, there being a branch pipe 87 leading from the pipe line 85 to the scrubber 86 and in the branch pipe 87 there is a valve 88. The pipe line 85 is continued as indicated at 89 and tted with a valve 90 so as to lead to the lower end of a stack 91. It will be understood of course that When it is desired to obtain only the heavy volatiles the gases as the same leave the condenser are conveyed by the pipe lines 85 and 89 directly to the stack 91, the valve 90 being open and the valve S8 being closed for this purpose, whereas if it is desired to lo carried by a shaft 74. The shaft. 7.4- is obtain the lighter volatilcs the valve 00 may bel closed andthe valve SS open so that the gases as the same come from the cond^ will first pass to the scrubher 80. The

.Ndut

:Is-Will' be understood may be retiued to auy Til desired extent and as indicated more o: hss diagrammatically' the diseh: c from the scrubber may he connected by a pipe line oi' to the bottomV of the stack.

In` the useI of the foregoing apparatus the 75 charge in the retort is suitably lightcd at the lower end Vthereof to produce the necessary heat .for the extraction of the volatilcs from the materials under treatment, the successive portions of the chaiHV sccnds through the retort becomingv igu after the volatiles have been ei l there- .fxacteo from t r1ri=1iiitain the source oftho heat required. The operation of the supply device, theslicer bar and the discharge devices may all be suitably regulated to maintain this heat at the most advantageous ten'iperature forsany particular material under treatment, varying from 350O to approximately 800O Fahrenheit. This controll may he elfected 953 manually by the attendant operating` the motors at the necessary periods to cause a continuous.operation of the apparatus, or the same may .be etfected by a thermocontrol or other device, depending` of course upon the heat within the retort'so that the motors operating the several parts may be operated when` necessary to accomplish this purpose. The control-of the apparatus, however, forms nopart of my present invention Which., as hereinbefore stated, is restricted to the construction of the grate.. slicer device,.the parts associated therewith and apparatus for operating the same.

In theuse of the apparatus as hereinbefore described, the material to be treated will be coal in one form or another in a great majority of installations, and when coal is the material treated the heat for the extraction of the volatiles therefrom is prefcrably generated as hereinbefore stated by burning the charge or a portion thereof in the lower section of the retort. It will be understood, however, that in the extraction of Volatiles from other materials such for erample as lignites, shales and the like, which are less con'ibustible than the coal, it will be necessary to utilize an additional apparatus Which may be of any type for externally generating and applying the necessary heat for the extraction of the volatiles, and in some instances itmay also be necessary to generate the heat eXternally in the extraction of volatiles from coal, and it will be understood that the heat may be so generated and applied Without departing from the nature and spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a retort slicing apparatus, a. grate beneath the open lower end of a retort, and

upon which the lower portion of the material in the. retort rests, and an oscillating` slicer bar adapted to move over the said grate to remove a. portion of the material above the grate with each oscillation of the slicer bar.

2. In a retort slicing; apparatus, a grate at the lower open end of a retort` and upon which material in the retort rests, an oscillating` slicer bar, d means for act-uating the slicer bar to swing` the same over the grate to remove a portion of the material from the retort.

3. in a retort slicing` apparatus, a graie having' a curved upper surface extending across the lower open end of a retort, and upon which material in the retort is adaptet to rest, and an oscillalin;1 slicer bar adapted to move in close proximit)`v over the curved surface of the grate bar to move a portion of the material from the retort.

In a retort slicing,` apparatus, a grate having` a curved upper surface extending` beneath the lower open end of a retort, and adapted to support material within the retort, an oscillating` slicer bar, and means for swinging` the slicer bar to and fro over the curved surface of the `grate to remove a portio-n of the material in the retort each time the slicer bar is actuated.

In a retort slicing apparatus, a hollow grate extending across the lower open end of a retort, andwadapted to support the material in the retort, an oscillatingslicer bar, and means for oscillating the slicer bar over the grate to remove a portion of the material within the retort.

6. In a retort slicing apparatus, a grate evtendini;y across an open lower end of a retort, and adapted to support the material within the retort, a hollow slicer bar, and means for oscillating,` this hollow slicer bar Laeazea over the surface of the grate to remove a portion of the material in the lower end of the retort.

T. In a retort slicing apparatus, a hollow grate adapted to extend across the lower open end of a retort, and to support material within the retort.V a hollow slicer bar, and means for oscillatingi the hollow slicer bar over the upper surface of the grate to remove a portion of the material in the lower part of the retort.

8. in a retort slieing apparatus, a hollow grate having' a. curved upper surface, adapted to extend across the lower open end of a retort, and to support material within the retort, a hollow slicer bar, devices for passing a ('.irculating medium through the said hollow grate and the slicer bar, and means for oscillatine` the slicer bar across the curved surface of the grate to remove a portion of the material in the lower end of the retort with each operation of the slicer bar.

9. In a retort sliciireY apparatus, a grate, a slicer bar, rocker shaft, means foi` connecting the rocker shaft to the slicer bar, and devices for swinging` the said means to oscillate the slicer bar over the upper surface of the `grate to remove the portion of the material in the lower end of the retort.

10. In a retort slieing apparatus, a grate extending across the lower open end of a retort, and adapted to support material therein, a slicer bar, a rocker shaft, rods connecting` the slicer bar and rocker shaft, and means for swinging the said rocls on the rocker shaft to thereby oscillate the slicer bar across the upper surface of the grate to remove al portion of the material from the lower end of the retort.

Signed by me this 2lst day of May, 1924.

Josmn BRADLEY. 

